Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay in California, United States. It is located within the Amador Valley of Alameda County's Tri-Valley region. It is located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of downtown San Francisco, east of downtown Oakland, and north of downtown San Jose.
The name "Dublin" is in reference to the city of Dublin, Ireland, because of the large number of Irish who lived in the area. The post office formally adopted the name in the 1890s. The area was first called Alamilla Springs, named after a spring located near the modern intersection of Dublin Boulevard and Dougherty Road. Another explanation suggests that the name may have developed from local references at the crossroads, either to a pair of inns known as the “Double Inns,” or to wagon drivers who would “double” their teams of horses before climbing a nearby hill.
Its population was 72,589 as of the 2020 census, which had grown from 46,063 in 2010. In 2013, Dublin was the second fastest-growing city in the state of California, behind only Santa Clarita. In 2019, census data showed Dublin as one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
History
In 1835, José María Amador was granted 16,500 acres for his service as a Mexican soldier and in Mission San Jose, where he was an administrator in the valley which was named Amador Valley after him. In 1850, Irish settlers bought land from Amador and founded a town.
Several historical sites are preserved and located where Dublin Boulevard is crossed by Donlon Way, itself formerly the northernmost segment of the main road to Sunol and Niles Canyon (present-day Foothill Road): The Murray Schoolhouse was established in 1856 with 50 pupils. Green's Store (opened in 1860) is the current home of the Dublin Church of Christ. The Dublin Pioneer Cemetery was formally established in 1859, although people had been buried in the churchyard for years before 1859. Old St. Raymond's Church (built in 1859) is the oldest extant Catholic church in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dublin Boulevard, a generally east–west road running just north of Interstate 580, was a part of the Lincoln Highway and later U.S. Route 50. The street formerly curved southward near today's Hansen Drive to follow present-day Dublin Canyon Road toward Hayward.
In 1960, the first housing tracts were built in West Dublin, transforming the formerly rural community into a suburb. It grew steadily from the early 1960s onward as both a residential and retail center. The city became incorporated in February 1982.
Although a post office operated from 1860 to 1908 in Dougherty, which broke off from Dublin, Dublin's first post office was opened in 1963, and is still in operation today.
Dublin housed a federal low-security women's prison, FCI Dublin, until it shut down in 2024. Many employees were convicted of sexually abusing prisoners. The US government agreed to pay over $100 million to the victims.
MythBusters cannonball incident
On December 6, 2011, during shooting for an episode of MythBusters at Camp Parks, a cannonball went skyward and zoomed through a nearby residence, coming to rest in a car. Many residents were shaken and the community was shocked, but nobody was injured. MythBusters cast members Adam Savage and Kari Byron hosted a student engineering event at Dublin High School, a move to express gratitude to the community of Dublin for the access to Camp Parks as a shooting location. The Dublin Film Commission declared December 6 "Victory in the battle for Dublin", poking at the rogue cannonball incident, and announced plans to host a film festival every December 6 to honor Dublin's fallen cannonball. On December 6, 2012, Tri-Valley Film Coalition President Morgan Finley King hosted a film festival at the Dublin Library, in which winners of each category were awarded a "Golden Cannonball Award".
Measure M
In 2000, following a conflict with Mayor Guy Houston and developers of the West Dublin Hills, Morgan King and David Bewley began a ballot initiative known as Measure M. The objective of the measure was to prevent the Dublin Hills from becoming overwhelmed with housing that had been promised to voters and that the housing would not be built on preserved open space. Measure M won in every precinct in Dublin and on the absentee ballots.City Council Minutes March 19, 2001
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Neighborhoods Wallis Ranch is a subdivision developed by Trumark Communities with about 816 units, which opened its first phase in September 2016. Trumark divided the project into eight neighborhoods, selling seven of them to other homebuilders, including Warmington Residential, PulteGroup, Taylor Morrison, KB Home, and D.R. Horton. Architects KTGY Architecture + Planning, Dahlin Group and Gates and Associates were the master plan architects. Teichert Construction built the infrastructure.$1 billion East Bay housing project opens first homes, 800 planned
Tassajara Hills is another subdivision built by Toll Brothers, roughly 370 detached homes. Transit-oriented development around the city's two BART stations continues with the Aster and Valor Crossing developments. Valor Crossing is an affordable housing project specifically designed for veterans and their families. Avalon Dublin Station is another recently completed luxury rental development by AvalonBay Communities.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Dublin, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)18,86920,38018,14962.95%44.27%25.00%Black or African American alone (NH)2,9954,2142,7409.99%9.15%3.77%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1561643760.52%0.36%0.52%Asian alone (NH)3,05012,17038,85810.18%26.44%53.53%Pacific Islander alone (NH)852772020.28%0.60%0.28%Some other race alone (NH)611413400.20%0.31%0.47%Multiracial (NH)8982,0273,5733.00%4.40%4.92%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4,0596,6638,35113.54%14.47%11.50%Total29,97346,03672,589100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Dublin had a population of 72,589. The population density was . The median age was 36.4 years. The age distribution was 26.3% under 18, 6.2% aged 18 to 24, 35.6% aged 25 to 44, 23.6% aged 45 to 64, and 8.2% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males age 18 and over.
The census reported that 95.0% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 4.5% were institutionalized. The city was 100.0% urban and 0.0% rural.
There were 23,526 households, of which 47.8% had children under age 18 living in them. Of all households, 64.7% were married-couple households, 4.9% were cohabiting couple households, 17.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 12.7% had a male householder with no partner present. About 16.6% of households were one person, and 4.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93. There were 18,147 families (77.1% of all households).
There were 24,426 housing units at an average density of . Of these, 23,526 (96.3%) were occupied, 62.1% were owner-occupied, and 37.9% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%, and the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%.
2023 ACS estimates In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 40.6% of the population was foreign-born. Of all people aged five or older, 50.9% spoke only English at home, 5.3% spoke Spanish, 16.0% spoke other Indo-European languages, 26.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.3% spoke other languages. Of those 25 or older, 95.5% were high-school graduates and 69.5% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income was $205,046, and the per capita income was $81,377. About 3.3% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Dublin had a population of 46,036. The population density in 2010 was 3,087.1 people per square mile (1,192.0/km2). The racial makeup of Dublin was 51.3% White, 9.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 26.8% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 14.5%.
The Census reported that 87.5% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 12.3% were institutionalized.
Of the 14,913 households, 39.5% had children under 18 living in them, 57.8% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present. There were 775 (5.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, 1.0% were same-sex married couples or partnerships. About 21.5% were made up of individuals, and 578 (3.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70. About 10,613 were families, 71.2% of all households; the average family size was 3.19.
The population distribution was 10,297 22.4% under 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 38.2% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 109.4 males.
The 15,782 housing units had an average density of ; 14,913 were occupied, of which 63.2% were owner-occupied and 36.8% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%; 58.5% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 28.9% lived in rental housing units.
The median income for a household in the city was $114,699 for a family was $128,737. The per capita income for the city was $44,679.
Economy Dublin has undergone significant remodeling and expansion, with almost every shopping center in Dublin being remodeled while new shopping centers continued to be built. Dublin Place and Dublin Retail Center were followed by Hacienda Crossings, The Shops at Waterford, The Shops at Tralee Village, Grafton Station, Fallon Gateway, and Persimmon Place.
Dublin is the site of Santa Rita Jail, the principal jail for Alameda County. The third-largest jail in California and the fifth-largest in the United States, Santa Rita Jail is considered a "megajail", specified to hold 4,000 prisoners at any one time, making it as large as, or larger than, many of California's state prisons. It was completed at a cost of $172 million in 1983.
The Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, historically known as Camp Parks, is located in Dublin. A subinstallation of Fort Hunter Liggett, Camp Parks is the only training facility within a short drive for the 11,000-plus reservists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Firing ranges and a wide variety of training facilities are available. The post is home to the Regional Training Site-Intelligence, Regional Training Site-Medical, and the 91st DIV Battle Projection Center. Growth is on the horizon as new facilities have been built and more are programmed for construction in the near future.
Dublin was formerly home to the headquarters of Sybase, Inc (now part of SAP SE) and is currently home to the headquarters for CallidusCloud, Patelco Credit Union, Ross Stores, TriNet, Medley Health, Challenge Dairy, and Arlen Ness.
Top employers According to the city's 2025 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees1United States Government(including Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin)4,0522County of Alameda1,3643Dublin Unified School District1,3014Ross Stores1,1405Zeiss Meditec6726Kaiser Permanente6627Patelco Credit Union4748Snowflake Inc.3759Target33110City of Dublin321
Arts and culture